Georgia Power to retire, decertify more than 2 GW of coal-, oil-fired generating capacity

“Factors including the cost to comply with existing and future environmental regulations have prompted Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power Co. to seek approval from Georgia regulators to decertify and retire 15 coal- and oil-fired generating units in the state, totaling 2,061 MW.” [SNL.com]

7 responses to “Georgia Power to retire, decertify more than 2 GW of coal-, oil-fired generating capacity”

Welcome to the brave new world! Soon we will hear for calls for rate increases based on kw use where those with more that 1 lightbulb per room will pay a premium for their electricity. That’s only fair right? The rich should pay more for everything they buy, it’s only fair right? Forget about free markets, they only encourage waste and allow the idle rich to waste power needed by the less advantaged. Put a surcharge on every home with more than one tv and require taxpayer funded laundrys to cut down on wasteful clothes washing. Time to place a wealth tax on all consumer electronics over $400.00 and use the money to subsidize skyrocketing electric bills caused by reliance on wind and solar power. Yes, these draconian policies will hit everyone. They won’t produce enough electricity to power an LED flashlight but we will feel better knowing it is costing the rich more and we are all suffering equally from this left wing myopia.

Mr. Gallagher could be too close to right. And the loss of electrical capacity because of foolish regulation is a bad thing. If the plants are actually less economic than new gas-fired capacity, though, the free market is operating as it should.
I have the idea that coal may have more of a future as a transport fuel than as a way of generating electicity. That would really annoy the jihad-funding types.

Just to add some perspective, GA Power is relying more on (cheaper) natural gas to produce electricity, rather than (more expensive) coal:Tim Leljedal, a spokesman for Southern Company, says “The amount of coal that we’ve used to generate power for customers has decreased from 70 percent of our generation mix to 35 percent. While natural gas use has increased from 11 percent to 47 percent.” [quote found on http://www.gapundit.com

In addition, by the time the power plants listed in the SNL article are closing down, the new nuclear power plants currently under construction at the Savannah River Site/Plant Votgle should be nearing completion, while the slack is picked up by expansion projects and production increases elsewhere on the grid.

In other words, yes, regulations current and future ARE playing into GA Power/Southern Co.’s strategies, but they are not causing the company to abandon power production generally, nor ‘fossil fuel’ usage specifically.

“In addition, by the time the power plants listed in the SNL article are closing down, the new nuclear power plants currently under construction at the Savannah River Site/Plant Votgle should be nearing completion, while the slack is picked up by expansion projects and production increases elsewhere on the grid.”

To my knowledge, there is absolutely no linkage between SRS and Votgle. What information do you have on linkage?

Waste from one often ends up at the other, but other than that, you are correct: I should have left SRS out of that sentence, as the two CSRA nuclear facilities aren’t even in the same state, let alone run by the same folks (among other differences).